Respect in the Gym Starts With One Simple Habit
The short version: I asked someone to re-rack their barbell. Instead of putting it away, she threw the clips and plates onto the floor and told me: “I pay to come here. You work here. You put it away.” Here’s why this moment says so much more about gym culture than just weights on the floor.
The Night That Sparked This Post
I work in a chain gym (JD Gyms) as a Fitness Coach, and I also freelance as a Personal Trainer within the same space. Part of my role on shift is to “reset” the gym at the end of the night; basically putting away all the weights and equipment that people leave scattered around.
Last night, around 9:45pm, I watched a girl finish her workout, leave her barbell fully loaded, and walk off from the squat rack I’d literally just cleared.
Normally, I’d just sigh, add it to the pile of other weights I’d been re-racking for nearly 4 hours, and move on. But this time, I decided to politely ask her to put them away.
So, still smiling (I always smile), I said: “Hey, please can you put the weights and barbell away?”
She turned around, smiled back, said “Yes, ah amazing thanks”… and then skipped over and picked up her barbell pad.
I laughed awkwardly and tried again: “No no, sorry… I mean the barbell. It’s great you grabbed that too though, haha.”
Her music was blaring, and she half-waved me off. But my autistic brain doesn’t really do “let it slide,” so I stayed there, smiled again, and gently gestured back: “Sorry, the barbell?”
That’s when things went downhill. She stormed back, yanked the clips off, threw them on the floor, pulled off a weight, dropped it right there on the ground, and snapped: “I found it like that, and I pay to come here. You work here. You put it away. That’s your job.”
No. It’s not my job to put your weights away.
✅ My job is to keep the gym safe.
✅ My job is to support beginners so they don’t hurt themselves.
✅ My job is to help create an environment where everyone feels comfortable training.
But none of that works if people don’t do their part. When someone leaves 60kg on a barbell, that might not feel like a big deal to them, but for a beginner, someone recovering from injury, or a gym member with physical or neurological challenges, that bar could be the barrier that stops them from training at all.
It’s not just about tidiness. It’s about respect. Respect for other members. Respect for staff. Respect for the shared space we all pay to use.
My neurodivergence in all this
Being autistic and ADHD, for me, means I follow rules to the letter. If the sign says “re-rack your weights”, then of course I will. It also means I notice when people don’t, and I find it really hard not to speak up.
I know not everyone will see it that way. I know some people will think I’m being “too much” or “too direct.” But my brain is wired to want to make things better, safer, clearer. To call out behaviour that isn’t okay.
And I’ll be honest: sometimes that feels exhausting. I don’t expect a medal for reminding someone to re-rack. I don’t even expect a thank you. But I do expect basic respect when I’m doing my job.
Why this matters for gym culture
Every time we put our weights away, we’re telling the next person: “You belong here. You don’t have to be strong enough to clean up my mess just to start your workout.”
For people who are new, anxious, or neurodivergent, walking into a gym that looks chaotic can be overwhelming and intimidating. A tidy, respectful space says: You’re welcome here.
So next time you’re in the gym please remember that:
🟥 Leaving weights on the floor isn’t just messy. It’s unsafe.
🟧 Saying “that’s your job” to a coach is disrespectful.
🟩 Taking 20 seconds to re-rack your weights makes the gym safer and more welcoming for everyone.
It’s such a small thing, but as I always say, small things add up.
Let’s build gyms where respect, kindness, and accessibility aren’t optional extras.
So, show up, stay you, respect the space. That’s how we make the gym a place everyone feels confident walking into.
